Lack of Confidence
by Arukan
Summary: Hinata's been having some trouble at home during the night, and now during the day. Can this new found problem, and her general lack of courage keep her from asking Naruto to the Summer Festival? !Diaper and Infantilist content inside!


Lack of Confidence

**Chapter 1: The Situation Begins**

In the small village of Konoha, many things are expected of the children, their children are strong, able minded and bodied and are focused. All people from this town are in the dominion of the Country of Fire….a land gripped in the heat of war. But in Konoha the war is very far away. Still their children are taught to become strong able-bodied ninja.

However focusing on every person in Konoha is not something for which this story is concerned. This story is concerned with the life of one such girl trained as a Shinobi in Konoha. Her name is Hinata…she is 17 years old and a very capable, if not fiercely shy, girl. Her family, the Hyuuga clan, is one of the oldest and proudest of ALL the families in Konoha, so old that it is thought when the Fire Country was first formed that only the Hyuuga clan existed in Konoha. Of course a lot of stress and regard are put on the children of Konoha, and the children of the Hyuuga family are definitely NO exception at all, in fact a lot of the children in the Hyuuga family are held to even higher standards then their peers. A lot of work is put into each Hyuuga child to make them excellent, intelligent, and strong. Weakness is frowned upon.

Worst of all for poor Hinata, she is the heiress to the clan, the successor to the entire Hyuuga name. Many other Hyuugas do not like very much, the idea of Hinata becoming leader of their section of Konoha one day. They see her shyness and overall insecurities as major faults in her person itself. Very little to say, she is often shunned from even her own family. Hinata however strives to make herself able and show her family and peers she can be strong. Hinata has another problem in store for her, looming on the horizon, and that is where our story begins…

Dawn rose over the cliffs that surround the east of Konoha; the sharp rock faces cast eerie shadows over all the buildings. No one is usually active much at this time. Even for a village that strives for excellence. Saturday morning slowly creeps up on Konoha and within an hour the sun has come over the cliffs and some people are finally rising from their beds. The streets don't fill yet; only during major events would they fill, like the Summer Festival that would be taking place in a couple days.

An alarm clock goes off in a large bedroom of the Hyuuga Manor. A small round blue head of hair popped out of sheets and looked groggily at the clock. "I don't wanna wake up," A petite voice said, annoyed at the clock, as if it were a person.

Her extended hand turned off the clock and the girl almost resumed sleeping peacefully. However, it did not take long for a strange sensation to alert the slightly awake teenager. It was a damp cold feel, the girl sat up in her bed and looked around…it said 7 a.m. on her clock, and she realized what she had felt. Looking at her crotch area on the bed sheets was a large wet spot. The girl looked at it morosely and then got out of bed, and did not care to even change her wet clothing before she cleaned up her sheets.

Tears welled in the eyes of the blue haired girl as she put away her sodden bedding. "I…I can't believe I wet the bed," The girl began to cry a bit on her soft carpeted floor. She noticed a few minutes later that she was still in her wet clothing. The girl looked over at her dresser and stood up. A small, little trophy was there…the only thing she had ever won, and even though she was a little damp, that trophy always made her happy.

"1st Place Drawing Contest," it said, "Awarded to Hinata Hyuuga". Hinata pulled off her damp pajama bottom and panties and collected a new pair. She headed into the shower. She was hopeful to forget about the events that had just transpired.

As she left the steamy shower room and pulled up her canary yellow panties, she could smell the faint smell of urine, still. She set off the clean her mattress, and in a few minutes, it was smelling nice and fixed with new linens from her closet. Hinata could only smile at her good work. No one would know she wet her bed. She could tell her mother she spilt something on her sheets, and her mother would believe her. All and all, it might not be the worst day ever.

For the rest of the morning Hinata had almost totally forgotten about the incident. She liked to spend time out at a local teashop and restaurant, where she was rarely bothered, or noticed for that matter.

Hinata ordered tea as she usually did, and requested some small teacakes. Secretly from her table in the corner of the restaurant she spied Naruto walking into the restaurant and making quite a scene as he usually did. "Hey pops! Get me some ramen! I'm starving!"

Hinata blushed watching him. She had quite a crush on Naruto, she did not know why, maybe because he was everything she wanted to be, but was not. Hinata felt a small pinch in her lower stomach, she needed to pee, but the fear of being seen by Naruto made ever more apt to stay hidden, and out of sight. Naruto was joined today by his friends, their names: Sasuke; a shifty royal blue haired kid with an abnormal anti-sociality, and Sakura; a spunky, pink haired, overly enthusiastic girl who crushed on Sasuke in a quite open, and in some ways-annoying manner.

As they sat down Hinata shakily sipped on her tea a bit more slowly. That 'rock in the bottom of your stomach' feeling was slowly intensifying, watching Naruto. He began to look around, as he always did, because he had the patience of a squirrel, and his inquisitive watch met Hinata's obsessive stare. He saw recognized her just as she quickly averted her eyes. "Watcha doin' back there, Hinata, all lonely over in that dark corner? Come over here and sit with us!" Naruto lacked the tact to realize he was nearly screaming from the other side of the teashop.

"Don't invite her over here; she's odd," Sasuke said quite rudely, but hush.

"You don't get to say much about oddity Sasuke; well, I don't care if Hinata sits here. She is obviously not going to bother anyone, Hinata is quiet and sweet, unlike Naruto," Sakura said overtly precociously watching Naruto get rise from his seat.

"Fine then she sits here!" Naruto literally picked up Hinata, depositing her in the seat adjacent to him. He brought over her tea and set it up in front of her as it had been at her table. "Why are you all alone in that corner Hinata?" Naruto asked when he had finally seated himself again.

"No…no…no reason," Hinata already knew she was blushing as she answered. She could not talk to Naruto; the one she adored to an obsession. She was pleading inside for her outer self to tell Naruto how she felt, but her shyness would not let her, and she ended up playing with her fingers as she usually did. Once more, she noticed that nagging persistence in her bladder, maybe she should have gone after all.

"Well you can sit here now. Naruto stated rather obviously, going back to slurping his noodles. "So, what are you doing at the Summer Festival next week?" Naruto asked questioningly, his mouth full of food. Did he want to take her? Hinata's head danced with thoughts of going to the festival with Naruto. Quickly reacting and almost without thinking she threw out her answer.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I'm free that day. I was going to stay home and do nothing," Hinata huffed and puffed a bit, she was getting cramped even in the open space. She was quickly losing the confidence to talk, see, and even breathe almost. Her eyes began to water, her vision blurred as panic filled her totally, as severely as she could feel the liquid in her bladder. Stress and fear had allowed her to notice the gaining pressure in her abdomen, and with a huge shaking lurch, she got up and bolted out of the restaurant. "I have to go Naruto; I will talk to you later!" She shouted as she fled running as if she had been scalded.

She found herself all the way home and into the empty garden before she stopped running and took a deep soothing breath. Her entire body was tense still, and flustered, she felt as if her entire body was blush with embarrassment. Warmth was flooding her entire being the minute she had relaxed. She felt ever more so relaxed as she let go of her worry. Around Hinata, droplets of wetness had fallen to the ground; as her gaze met her pants, she became distraught. She had wet herself! She didn't even realize it until it was happening, she had forgotten about the pain in her bladder it had seemingly disappeared and she had not even noticed her own body letting go.

Hinata had almost broken down right there in the garden, but she was able to make it to her room, and changed before she erupted into tears. "Why did that happen?!" Hinata beat her fists against her pillow softly and cried miserably. "I am going to go to sleep and pretend this is all a dream. I'm just stressed, so very stressed. I got nervous, that was why I wet myself," The poor child put her head against her pillow and closed her eyes trying to close off the well of tears.

Hinata was right, it had been her nervousness, however she did not also realize that her body was still growing and not all things were keeping in pace. Hinata feel asleep despondently. She was dry though…she hoped that at least she would wake that way. She could not stand her little imperfections, and wanted for the world to wake up, without them.

**Chapter 2: The Situation Worsens**

Hinata did not stir until the sun had nearly set that evening. At about eight Hinata did get up and looked about her room. In her near asleep state, she started remembering the events of that midmorning. She remembered waking up to a wet bed, and then narrowly escaping wetting herself in front of Naruto by running away. Hinata's hands moved slowly and warily to her crotch area and felt nothing but dry Lycra. She sighed deeply and smiled to herself. "Dry," she thought. Only long enough to realize she did have to pee. She hurried to the bathroom door and went inside; she closed it behind her emerging a few moments later relieved.

Hinata thought she would go see the sun set that night; it had been a long time since she had done that. It would help calm her and definitely serve her nerves a great deal. As she walked out her door and slid it shut, she felt a warm and sweet smelling summer breeze pass through her hair. The smell of the trees and flowers of the garden was amazingly pacifying. It was gentle and it caressed her face as her mother often did when she was little, and still sometimes did, when Hinata was upset.

Hinata found herself within the park in a short time and looking towards the west and the failing sunlight as it hide beneath the horizon she felt compelled to lie in the grass. With a small heave, she fell to the ground and giggled as the cool ground contrasted to the warmth of her body. "Mmm, so comfy," Hinata cooed. She smiled deeply as she usually didn't; she opened her pale lavender eyes and watched a few birds pass overhead.

She felt her body tense and then relax; she was afraid she might of peed herself but felt no warmth after the tension had past. She was thankful. "I am becoming so much more jumpy then I usually am. Maybe it is the fact that I have wet my bed three weeks, every single night. Its becoming a problem, but its not that bad I guess. Nevertheless today after seeing Naruto is very unsettling. I have not had an accident since I was four. When Neji jumped out of that corner and scared me,"

Hinata giggled remembering her cousin bounding from around the corner at her house and she totally wetting herself from sheer fright. She remembered that her mother had laughed quite visibly too, when she washed her that night.

However, Hinata knew her mom would not be so jovial about her recent streak of bedwetting. "I'm a good girl," She said reassuring herself." I am just going through a phase. Like a lot of girls must do. Soon I'll just stop wetting the bed at night and no one will know it ever happened,"

Hinata nodded, she would not let her mother know she was wetting the bed, no matter what. Even if it meant making sure her sheets were cleaned every morning for the next five years. Hinata was getting sleepy again; she did not even notice that she had begun to nod off until she had fallen asleep. She began to snore loudly and happily as the night had fallen in earnest. Shadows covered the forest and shrouded the park in a veil of black punctuated only by the moonlight above. A blond shadow shifted out of the bush and almost tripped over Hinata.

"Sakura-chan really hit me HARD," Naruto nursed a lump on his head tenderly. All I did was use my kage bunshin to boost myself to her room. I did not know she was changing! She should shower at a reasonable time, like two in the morning as I do! Huh what's this snoring thing on the floor?" Naruto knelt down and examined Hinata quite ignorantly before knowing it was her. "What is Hinata doing here at night, its dangerous. A kunoichi like her should know its not safe to sleep in the grass at night!"

Naruto shook Hinata quite hastily and without subtlety. He had such a gentle way of handling things it seemed. Hinata's eyes shot open and saw Naruto looking right at her, his face inches from hers, his warm breath breathing down on her lips. Eyes shaking inside her skull, the world around her liquidating and pouring through her Hinata yelped, threw her head up, and smashed it right into Naruto's. He had been wearing his forehead protector, but she had hers were it always had been, around her neck, exposing her forehead. She fell backwards unconscious and Naruto flew backwards in fright.

"HINATA-CHAN??!!!" Naruto's eyes went wide and his pupils shrunk to the size of pinheads. His initial fright faded and he knew Hinata should be brought home seeing, as she was not going to wake up now. "I should get her home, she seems fine, but she has a cut on her forehead. We should wrap that," Naruto intricately removed Hinata's headband from her throat and tied it softly yet taut around her forehead covering the slightly bleeding laceration. "Poor Hinata, she will probably be all mad at me for startling her,"

Picking the soft girl from the grass and taking her towards the path to the park Naruto started off for the Hyuuga quarter of Konoha. He passed through the streets feeling the soft load on his back and her warmth pressing into him. Her soft breasts were right against his back and as he continued to tote her; the feeling of them bouncing softly made Naruto a little happy. When he had made it to the Hyuuga quarter, he looked in awe at the mansions that lined the street. "Hinata lives HERE?!" He thought finding the sign that bore the insignia of the Head family above the most stately mansion in Konoha.

Naruto walked silently into the residence hoping to avoid anyone seeing him carrying Hinata into her own house, or maybe the reversal of that action. He did not want anything bad to happen to himself, while helping Hinata. A problem arose when Naruto did not know where Hinata's room was I the giant mansion. He looked through the soft paper of the doors trying to perceive shadows behind them and after two times of walking into a sitting room or unoccupied storage area he found a more modern looking room with pink slippers sitting in front of a bed adorned with konoha symbols against a green cloth.

He was sure of this room's ownership when he spied the trophy that he had seen Hinata win, remembering losing that contest to Hinata, well losing to everyone actually, but who's counting?

Naruto tiptoed to Hinata's bed and laid her down covering her with the blanket, tucking her in softly. He knew it would not be wise to leave a wounded girl unattended so Naruto sat in the corner of Hinata's room against the wall looking as she softly heaved and sighed in her unconscious state. He wanted to make sure she would make it through the night okay, so he was resolute in staying awake the entire night. It only being around nine Naruto realized he had quite a bit of staying up to do.

Hours past, Naruto nodded to sleep a small bit but snapped his head back so violently it hit the wall. He grimaced angrily and rubbed the back of his head tenderly. Looking around he hoped the sound had not been loud enough to rouse any occupants in the manor.

Hinata was slowly and softly inhaling, and exhaling peaceably. It was almost tiring listening to her sleep so soundly. Naruto stood up and walked over to Hinata. She shivered a bit in her sleep and snuggled up in her blanket. Naruto removed her headband and looked at the wound on her forehead. It was a small cut, and there was no bleeding.

"I guess she's okay. I might as well go to sleep. I'll check up on her before I leave in the morning." Naruto told himself before returning to the corner and sitting down. Within moments, he was asleep and snoring obnoxiously.

About another 7 hours crept on by and the sun began to once more peek slightly over the clouds in the east. It was summing up to be a bit of a dreary day. Small dark rain clouds dotted the sky.

Inside the Hyuuga manor, Hinata began to stir. With a fright, she woke and looked straight ahead surprised. She remembered only seeing Naruto in the woods and then nothing. As the fright left her, despondence took hold, warmth pooled around her bottom and crotch. She was peeing! Hinata looked sadly at the wetness as her body stopped evacuating. "Darn it." She said softly, keeping from crying. It was at the moment she looked away from the wet spot she heard it.

The monster like snoring of the blond haired boy in her corner alerted her. Eyes widening, she turned blood red. "Naruto…is…here? Oh no, he must have brought me home, wet if I wet myself then?! No, I'm still in the same clothes as last night. Oh dear. I hope he will not see me like this. I know! I'll take a shower and get changed really quickly, and then I'll come out and wake him. He'll never know." Hinata reassured herself as she folded down the covers and put her feet to the floor.

Naruto shuffled a little as Hinata scurried off to the shower with her clothes in hand. In the warm water spray, Hinata washed her delicate body. Her mind stood on being quick. She was trying to make sure she would be out before Naruto woke up. Hinata begun to wash her hair. She was thinking. "I have to stop this, all of this wetting, the bed, when I'm awake. All of it. How?" She continued to think as she shut the water and got dressed.

Opening the door towel still over her wet head Hinata walked to the center of her room and removed the towel. "Hey Hinata! You're done!" Naruto was standing there, his sleeves rolled up. A washcloth was in his hand, and Hinata's bed was made.

"What…Naruto?!" Hinata felt dazed, not only was her adoration standing there, he had cleaned her soiled linens. She felt her lungs tighten and her muscles tense like as if they were subjected to electricity.

"Your sheets were a little damp Hinata. I guess you weren't able to wake up since you wanged your head last night." Its okay, it was my fault. So I cleaned it up!" Naruto smiled as if he had done nothing. Somehow, Hinata was comforted, she had a viable excuse, and Naruto did not know that she had just accidentally wet herself in bed.

"Thank you so much Naruto!" Hinata beamed.

"It was no problem. Sakura used to wet her sleeping bag during missions. I know how to clean stuff like that, its easy," Naruto so easily blabbed.

"Sakura wet her sleeping bag?" Hinata smiled a little bit on the inside, she giggled somewhat inaudibly.

"Yeah, well, I should get going. Just make sure you take care of your forehead Hinata," Naruto walked past her and rubbed the small cut softly. Hinata burnt crimson and almost fainted.

When Naruto was gone, Hinata sat on the dry edge of her bed and contemplated her predicament. "I must solve this, this problem of mine. Even if I can't talk that well to Naruto, the least I can do is find a way to not wet myself at the mere sight of him."

"Sakura used to wet her sleeping bag…." Naruto repeated in Hinata's mind. Her eyes alerted and she smiled a bit. Sakura might know what to do! Hinata decided she would find Sakura and ask her the very day.

Pulling on her blue shoes and getting her small backpack in case she would need to take anything Sakura could give her; she combed her hair and winked at herself in the mirror. "We can do this, Hinata! Let's go solve this problem!"

**Chapter 3: The Solution**

Hinata wandered around the inner village. She was taking her time and walking about, hoping she would bump into Sakura rather then awkwardly going to her home, or where she liked to study. She past Ichiraku Ramen and the drugstore, with no sign of Sakura, she continued on.

She turned around every so often in her pseudo-sneaky sort of way and looked around. She could not find hide nor hair or the pink haired girl. At the point she was ready to head for the library, an often haunt of Sakura's, she heard a loud, very obnoxious laugh.

"Ino! You pig-face! That outfit is ridiculous!" Sakura exclaimed, putting down, what seemed to be, a very beautiful kimono that Ino was modeling.

"It is not, wide head!" Ino retorted swirling around in the purple floral kimono.

"I'll wait for her to finish her conversation," Hinata thought until Ino spotted her.

"Hey Hinata! What do you think of my kimono?" Ino dragged Sakura towards Hinata. She arrived and plopped her best friend down beside her; the two looked intently at Hinata for her answer. She thought about what she really felt.

"Its pretty, Ino. I like it," Hinata mumbled shyly. Ino seemed satisfied. She let go of the vice like grip on Sakura's shoulder and turned around.

"Well Hinata, Wide-head, I need to go get changed and work the register at the shop. You two take care!" Ino sashayed back into the store and disappeared.

"Don't let it get to you Hinata," Sakura said rubbing her shoulder. Hinata was very tense from the surprise interrogation. "Now why were you hiding over here? I saw you come over and stop when I was talking to pig-face." Sakura smiled invitingly.

"Ummm, ummm, can I talk to you in private Sakura? Its kinda personal." Hinata's voice was very low and shy. She wasn't exactly best friends with Sakura or anything.

"Let's go back to my house and have tea," Sakura suggested. Hinata nodded and Sakura began to walk in the direction of her home. The entirety of their walk time Hinata wondered how to ask her question in a formal, polite manner. When she had thought of a suitable method, they were already arriving at the Haruno residence.

"Mom, I'm home!" Sakura exclaimed walking through the door. There was no response. "Mom must be out, well anyway, come up to my room, I'll get the tea started. It's the only room upstairs, I doubt you will get lost," Sakura pointed up a flight of steps and Hinata slowly stepped up them as she heard Sakura go about preparing tea.

Sakura's room was small in comparison to Hinata's own room, but something about all the things in it made Hinata envious. There were all sorts of little medals and awards for academic excellence. Hinata looked at a picture of Sakura's ninja cell sitting on her windowsill. Naruto had his usual grin, Sasuke his trademark grimace, and between them stood Sakura beaming brightly. Kakashi-sensei stood above the three smiling, or frowning, Hinata could not really tell.

"I know its small compared to what you must have at your manor, but its got coziness," Sakura said walking in the door with a platter of tea and cups. She set them on the small table in the center of her room and knelt down. "Have some tea, Hinata,"

Hinata sat down and accepted the cup of tea. Her slight anxiety of asking was lifting slightly. She felt she had a bit of commonality with Sakura. "So, um, Sakura? Can I ask you my question now?"

Sakura nodded. "Go ahead, I'm listening,"

"Well you see last night I went out for a walk…." Hinata went over the entire story piece by piece until she reached the end. "…then Naruto said that during missions you used to wet your sleeping bag, and I thought if he said "used to" I thought maybe you had figured out….some kind of solution to this sort of problem." Hinata huffed and puffed a bit. That took more to say then she thought. Sakura looked over Hinata, figuring her answer.

"Well, yes, I guess you can say I did figure out a solution," Though Sakura's smile had not faded she wasn't looking Hinata in the face, she was looking down at her knees. "I discovered something, from working in the hospital with Hokage Tsunade-sama." Sakura seemed hesitating. She seemed to punch herself from the inside and looked back up at Hinata. "One second, I'll find it for you,"

Sakura got to her feet, went into her small closet, kneeling down, took a few pieces of older looking clothes, and set them aside. She rustled through a few more things before returning with an object she was holding behind her back. "Please don't find this insulting, I mean, I used them for a while, they work very well," Sakura moved the object into view.

"Its that simple?" Hinata asked looking over the plastic-like white object in Sakura's hand. Sakura did as Hinata usually did and turned beet red.

"You mean you're not embarrassed or think its funny?" Sakura asked. "I thought a 15 year old girl wearing…these, was a bit sad," Sakura put the object on the table. "You can have this one, I stopped wetting the bed a couple weeks ago, and so for now I don't need more. Are you sure you don't think its funny?"

"Of course not, you're an able and strong ninja no matter what," Hinata reassured Sakura, who had knelt back down and started to sip her tea.

"Tell no one, I wore diapers, Hinata" Sakura said rigidly. She looked up almost evilly. Hinata became tense for a moment and then smiled.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, it will be our little secret," Hinata unfolded the diaper and held it in her hands; she looked it over quizzically and then put it back on the table. She looked to Sakura. "Umm, but I dunno, how to get this on…" Hinata was a little embarrassed.

Sakura stood up and took the white diaper in her hand. She motioned to her bed and sat on it. Hinata took a moment, but she stood up and walked over to the bed. "Lie down," Sakura instructed firmly, but oddly reassuringly. "Now, I'll try to be very gentle Hinata. I know the first time can be the most embarrassing," Sakura was gently tugging at the edges of Hinata's pants pulling them down to about her knees. "The jacket might get in the way; please unzip it if you don't mind,"

Hinata moved her hand to the zipper and undid her jacket; she let the two halves fall to either side of her and returned her hands to their position on her chest.

"That'll make this a bit easier," Sakura cooed, eyeing Hinata's striped panties. "I have a pair just like these," Hinata could tell Sakura was trying to keep her calm and reassured through the entire process. A small blush came over Hinata as she felt the cool air against her exposed regions. Sakura reached to Hinata's ankles and lifted them, elevating Hinata's entire hind region.

"Now, all you do is position it nice and straight under your bottom, make sure its about here," Sakura said poking softly a bit of creamy pale skin about two inches above Hinata's backside." Now, then all you do is lie back down and make sure its positioned right," Sakura eased Hinata's body down on the soft cloth-like feeling diaper.

Sakura smiled, as Hinata looked a bit relieved to not be in such a vulnerable position. "Almost done now, all you do is bring the front end up over yourself, about navel high, or a little lower if its not bothersome. Holding it there with one hand, from the bottom up alternate taping the tapes," Sakura methodically said the positional names of the tapes as she did them snugly. "Bottom right, bottom left, middle right, middle left, top right, top left, All done!" Sakura looked over her work, prideful.

Hinata sat up and felt the soft, almost hugging fabric around her. She blushed a bit; it was a very different feel then her normal underwear. Sakura was working on something at Hinata's thighs as Hinata's hands felt the front of the diaper, stroking the soft plastic cover with one hand. "This isn't so bad," she thought.

Sakura handed Hinata what looked like a folded napkin at first. She then recognized her expertly folded panties. "They'll only bunch up and make the diaper uncomfortable," Sakura said helping Hinata to her feet and replacing her blue pants to her waist. "Wow, its almost unnoticeable, with the coat on, I doubt anyone, but an expert would know you had them on!"

Hinata nodded zipping the front of her jacket up, hiding the soft cloud, hugging her around the midsection, from view. "Thank you so much Sakura!" Hinata sprung rather impulsively and hugged Sakura tightly. "This will definitely help me stop, so I can finally ask Naruto…." Her shyness hit her just before she divulged on of her biggest secrets. "I mean, I meant, I….I…."

"Don't worry," Sakura said; rubbing Hinata's back as they still embraced. "I've noticed your near idolization of that dummy Naruto. Don't worry, I never told anyone." Sakura let go and looked over Hinata's person one more time. "All set, now all you need to do is buy some more, and if this works, you'll have no problem controlling those pesky stress evacuations! The drugstore next to the Ramen stand is where I picked these up. They're probably the best brand in Konoha," Sakura nodded thinking to herself.

Hinata noted what Sakura said and nodded politely before bowing. "Thank you, again. I need to go, thank you for your help, and for the tea," Hinata bowed again before walking down the stairs of Sakura's house and exiting into the warm mid-summer air.

Hinata fumbled through her backpack as she stood outside the entrance to her house. She had walked home quite slowly and guardedly back to her house; she did so even more furtively to her room. Once sitting upon her bed, she opened her purse and counted the money inside. "Much more then enough, most likely," Hinata figured. She still was not over the comfort and simplicity of the slightly bulky padding around her bottom.

"Maybe things are coming up Hinata after all!" she thought jubilantly.

**Chapter 4: A Minor Dilemma, and a Mother's Love **

Hinata felt a small pinch in her bladder. She had to go to the bathroom. She blushed a little bit at the idea of purposely using the diaper to relieve herself. However, she figured that's what it was there for and not using it would just be a waste of Sakura's gracious gift.

It was more of challenge to pee with the tight soft material against her then Hinata had originally thought, after about two or three minutes of trying. Hinata sat down and sighed. No sooner had she relaxed did her bladder release and warmth flooded her front.

"Oh no!" Hinata looked at her crotch fearfully but it dawned on her that not only had the wetting ceased but also the feeling of being damp was nil. "These are really good," Hinata remarked pulling open the front of her pants and carefully prodding the material. Without contemplation, she let her pants go and smiled happily. "Dry," was all she thought.

She made sure everything was in order and stood up. "If I go now, the drugstore should be empty, its mid afternoon on a weekday, no one's gonna be there." Hinata said to herself as she walked out of her room and slid the door closed.

The streets in town were empty as she leisurely walked towards the ramen stand, on the look out for any blond haired, blue-eyed ninjas slurping noodles. Naruto was not there, thankfully. Therefore, Hinata continued on past the stand and to the drugstore not even a block away.

She stood at the door for a moment cautiously and peered inside the wood furnished store. Magazines stood in racks at the near side of the store, and the register at the far. There were long white shelves, about five, filling the inside of the store and separating it into aisles. Taking one more look around Hinata stepped into the store and walked down the first aisle. She noted this was not the aisle that would have what she was looking for but she stopped and browsed anyway.

Hinata's eye was caught by a manga and she picked it up. _Pretty_ _Kunoichi Michiru_, Hinata's favorite comic. She busily flipped through the book, looking at the pictures of the girl ninja. She giggled when she saw a page of Michiru standing over her bed mat with a small storm cloud above her head. There was a small yellow spot on the mattress. Hinata giggled again. "You and me both Pretty Kunoichi Michiru," Hinata told the drawn ninja girl. She replaced the manga and went back to walking down the aisle.

Reaching the next, she quickly disregarded it; there was no need to go down it. It was all medicines and soldier pills, nothing she needed. The third was some home stuff, toilet paper, air freshener, and other toiletries. The back wall was empty except for a freezer section of indiscriminant drinks on the far end of the store. The fourth aisle had some female products on one side, and baby products on the other. She thought this would probably be the aisle.

Looking up and down the rows, she found a package, which had its blue back turned to the customer. On it bared the same brand and type of "adjustable brief" she was at the moment wearing. She looked over the package. There indicated a size measurement printed in one letter: S, M, or L on the front of the brief. Blushing deeply Hinata looked down at her legs. With one stealthy glance to her surroundings, she pulled at the elastic waistline of her pants and peered down into them. Written on the diaper was a small letter "M" in bright blue.

"Medium," Hinata said to herself looking at the package she was holding. "18 Size Medium Briefs for Girls/Boys 15+" read the pack. She nodded at the pack and lifted it by the light blue, translucent plastic handle. Walking over towards the front of the store, she noted a familiar tuft of hair behind the register, kneeling down, snoring. The hair was in fact, Shikamaru.

"This is Shikamaru's family's drugstore?!" Hinata hit herself on the inside for not remembering the sign on the outside reading "Nara Pharmacy." "I'm not brave enough to buy these with someone I know selling them to me, Shikamaru's mother, father, anyone but one of my former classmates himself!" Her heart sunk so much work for nothing. "No… not this time. Not when I am so close to helping myself for one of the first times!" Hinata screamed inside so loudly it came out as almost an audible yelp.

Fighting with all her courage, she reached the counter and put down the package of diapers. She looked to the side of the register and spied the counter bell. Like trying to lift solid lead, Hinata raised her hand that had just released the package. It was as if explosion of stress were keeping the hand from rising. As much as she battled, the hand would not strike the service bell. "Do this Hinata!" She screamed inside, charging her hand forward and slamming the bell.

The almost caustic ring echoed through the store, and the palm tree like shoot of hair swiveled a bit. Shikamaru arose with his eyes groggily half-open. "How troublesome," he remarked, incoherently ringing up and bagging the package. "11.50 is your total," He yawned, his eyes still sleep ridden and unseeing.

With quick hand and even quicker step, Hinata paid and grabbed the bag, darting from the open door before Shikamaru had even taken a step back to resume his nap. He'd not even seen it was her.

Hinata ran, in some places jumping to quicken her escape home. With a few more bounds, she landed on the roof of her home. Slinking in she made it to her room, and put the package under her bed. Hinata stopped and rested. She felt wet all around her bottom. "Well good thing Sakura gave me this one…." Hinata though knowing now the diaper had to be in need of changing.

Hinata slowly slid her door shut and took off her jacket. She took off her headband and set it on her dresser. Sweat from her run home beaded on her forehead. She swiped it with her hand and decided a shower would be refreshing. Removing her Shinobi shoes, she set them at the door. Sighing softly she removed her pants and set them on the bed.

Once more Hinata went into the bathroom and ran the water. She removed the wet diaper and set it in her bathroom trash under a mound of toilet paper and a torn magazine. In a few moments, Hinata emerged from the water and shut it off. Droplets clung to her refreshed body as she dried her entire person gently. Wrapping herself, she entered her room.

"Now time to see how much I learned from Sakura," Hinata said letting the towel fall to the ground, then collecting her mesh undershirt and putting it over her bare bosom. She carefully sat bare bottomed on her bed and laid back. Turning to her side, she ripped open the package and removed a crisp folded diaper. As she unfolded it, Hinata felt oddly happy. This was kind of new and fun to her. She had enjoyed the first one, maybe this was worth almost being caught by Shikamaru. Maybe…

As Hinata lifted her back to slip the fluffy undergarment underneath herself, she thought she heard something, but she chalked it up to the crinkling plastic and continued. Moments later Hinata taped up the top tape and smiled at her work.

"All done!" She said mimicking Sakura's exclamation. She stood and did a small twirl, and as she did the door to her room slid open and a slender, taller, older version of Hinata stepped in. She wore a dark navy pair of satin slacks that ended at her ankle and led into her informal tatami sandals. Her top was a brief webbed midriff; it hung loose over a black silk bra. Around the waste of the figure, an older konoha headband glinted in the half-light. Her almost jet black azure hair cascaded like a waterfall to her mid back. Hyuuga eyes stared intently forward. It was a familiar figure. It was Hyuuga Inase…. Hinata's mother.

Hinata's twirl ended when her eyes locked onto her mother's half-quizzical, half-surprised visage. "MOMMY?!" Hinata blurted. Inase put her hand on her hip, the other on the doorway arch and smiled a bit, looking over her daughter.

"I was right! You have been wetting the bed!" Inase said wryly. She stood now with both hands on her hips and had a bit of disappointment, yet still humor in her face. "Why didn't you tell mommy, Hinata?" Inase looked at her daughter semi-sternly. Her daughter was speechless, standing there mouth agape, utterly embarrassed and frightened. "Did you think I would be mad at you? For something simple as wetting yourself a couple of times? Something even I went through at your age?" Inase became a little more disappointed.

"I'm really, really sorry, momma," Hinata said almost too quiet to be heard. "I thought you'd be mad at me, disappointed with me," Hinata had tears in her eyes, she knelt on her floor, in nothing but her shirt and diaper, crying softly into her own clenched hands.

"Hinata, Hinata!" Inase consoled emphatically. "I know what this is like, I had the same problem, and from the look of it, the same solution as you did!" She held her daughters hands down and looked at the bleary-eyed teen.

"So you're not mad?" Hinata asked, hoping to escape any punishment for hiding her problem.

"I'm not angry and not disappointed as I should be. However, I asked you two weeks ago if anything was wrong, and it seems you blatantly lied to me, young lady. You hid something so childish from me, that we could have easily fixed then as you have now," Inase's voice was still loving but turning into that foreboding coldness that foreshadowed punishment. "Your lying was very immature Hinata. I think you should be punished as your immaturity appropriately dictates," Hinata's mother took her daughter's hand gently yet tightly and walked to the bed. She sat down and looked at her daughter.

Hinata looked down at her mother sitting on the bed. She blushed at what she knew her punishment was going to be. "If you're going to lie like that time you were two..." Inase said, referring to the time Hinata broke the vase in the hall and told her mom it was Neji, "…then you are going to receive he same punishment, dear." Hinata's face blushed even more.

Without resisting, she politely apologized: "I am very sorry, mommy, I accept my punishment." Hinata's mother eased her daughter onto her lap and then made sure she was nice and comfy. Hinata could not help but feeling warm, and nostalgic, being on her mother's lap for the first time in fourteen years.

Her mother's hand rubbed the soft plastic of the diaper and gauged its thickness. "Now, mommy is a bit forgetful, how many did you get back then?" Inase asked looking down at the back of her daughter's head.

"Ten, mommy," Hinata said honestly, remembering the embarrassing spanking she had received that day fourteen years prior. Her mother nodded, and raised her hand. Hinata barely felt the first smack, as it harmlessly resounded from the padded surface of the diaper. The second was a little harder, and the third a bit more. They still didn't hurt. Hinata's mother, fully aware, continued on with the fourth, fifth, and sixth spanks, a small smile on her face.

Hinata was trying hard not to giggle at her mother's obviously satirical punishment. Inase too was choking back laughter as she finished the last four spanks and set her daughter next to her. "There my darling. All paid up," Inase kissed her daughter on the forehead delicately, before rising and looking over her child. She held her hand out, helped her daughter to her feet, and then watched her put on her pants as Hinata had planned to nearly fifteen minutes earlier.

"Hinata dear, remember, tomorrow you need to come with me to the tailor, we need to get you fitted for your festival yukata." Inase said turning back and taking one more look at her smiling child.

"I love you mommy," Hinata said vibrantly.

"You're my little princess, Hinata," Inase said closing the door to Hinata's room.

Happy and reassured Hinata thought over her plan for the festival. Her wetting was under control; her mother was not disappointed with her. With these meager challenges out of the way, only one thing remained: gathering the courage to ask Naruto to accompany her to the festival.

**Chapter 5: Everything's Coming Up Hinata**

The rest of that day had passed almost too quickly and before Hinata knew it, she was waking up to a soft pressure on her shoulder, shaking her to and fro gently. Inase was standing above her daughter smiling, she too partially asleep. "Time to get up darling, we have to go to the tailor, and get your yukata.

Hinata turned on her side, still asleep, or as close to sleep as possible and continued snoring happily. Her mother placed her hand over Hinata's nose until her eyes shot open and Inase released her daughter's nasal passages. Hinata was not used to being woken by her mother, whom though nobility, was a full time shinobi. "I want to stay asleep," Hinata begged softly, as her mother pulled back her sheets.

Hinata grumbled and sat up, a cool clammy dampness pressed against her. She looked down to her legs and saw a faint yellow splotch on the front of her diaper. It was then she immediately remembered the entire previous day. She became overjoyed at the fact her bed did not require a full cleaning this morning, and with a smile on her face for the first morning in a good while Hinata got out of bed and hugged her mother good morning.

"Good morning, Hinata!" Inase said parodying the length of time; it took her daughter to rise from bed. "Come now, get showered and changed so we can go to the tailor!" Inase hurried her daughter into the bathroom and closed the door between them. A few seconds later six sharp crinkling sounds came from the other side of the door and the shower water began running.

Hinata barely managed to wash her own body before her mother burst in. "Come now, we have no time for being slow, Hinata-chan!" Her mother finished washing her daughter's person rather quickly, and then massaged shampoo into her long blue hair. Inase was always rather over motherly with her daughters, so Hinata just let her be as she was quickly dried and had her hair combed.

"Hinata, I realize dressing may be a bit personal…" Inase said wrapping the towel around her daughter's blossoming frame as they exited the steam-filled shower. "…so I'll leave the room while you do it," Inase slid the door of Hinata's room shut and her shadow waited beyond it in the hall. Hinata, a little exasperated from being waited on so closely, laid on her bed slowly and undid the towel.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts before reaching to the side and retrieving the clothes and diaper she had stacked on her nightstand the night before. With growing ease, she positioned and affixed the tapes, securing the almost pacifying garment to her delicate body. She sat up, pulling over her black tank top and mesh overtop. Her pants lifted up easily, and shoes slipped on; Hinata grabbed her jacket and slid open the door to the hallway.

As she walked past, her mother held out a blue ribbon of fabric. "Don't forget this," Inase said smiling brightly, holding Hinata's headband, which she had totally forgot about. Tying the symbol of konoha loose around her neck Hinata stood next to her mother and gave her a proper good morning hug. "Today is going to be a good day, mommy, I can feel it!" Hinata exclaimed proudly.

The mid morning light bathed the streets in early summer, and peacefulness. The two Hyuuga women meandered slowly, but surely towards the tailor, near the edge of the Hyuuga quarter. The street ended and the dimly lit tailor's shop rose meagerly at the corner. Hinata made another discovery standing at the door of the shop; it read "Haruno Tailor Shop." She knew then who would be working behind the counter when they entered.

Sakura looked brightly, her sea foam green eyes staring patiently at the door as Hinata and her mother walked into the shop. Colorful yukatas and kimonos lined the front and back wall of the store, the other side devoted to shinobi wear, pouches, shoes, and other clothing equipment vital to the normal konoha ninja.

Sakura immediately recognized the two customers and walked politely over to them. "Hello, welcome to our tailor shop. Can I help you?"

Inase looked over Sakura, as if she was deciding whether or not to purchase the child herself. "Hmm, yes we could use your help young lady. Me and Hinata need to be sized for our kimonos, we selected the patterns we wanted a few weeks ago, and I believe it was your mother, whom told us to return today to be sized for cutting," Sakura looked unfazed by the absolutely drawn out description.

"Yes ma'am!" Sakura said diligently, as she bounded behind the counter and returned with a note pad and pencil, as well as a long ribbon measure clenched between her lips. "If you would Ms. Hyuuga please step behind that curtain and take off any and all articles of extraneous clothing," Sakura explained very formally.

Inase licked her lips a bit, went to the side of the store, and stepped behind the curtain. After a few moments, she called out to Sakura. "Miss, I'm ready…hehehe." Hinata's mother had a tone that implied something quite the opposite of what was really going to happen behind that curtain. Sakura hurried to her customer's aide.

"EEEP!" Sakura exclaimed when she had reached Inase. "Miss, you didn't need to remove that much, a bra does not add much deviation to a measurement!"

"My, my, someone is shy," Inase said tenderly as the Sakura measured her, whilst trying to ignore her open cleavage.

"We're all done, Ma'am. When you're clothed please step out of the booth and let Hinata undress please," Sakura said walking out of the small changing room her eyes shut.

When Inase emerged from the booth, she looked happily from Sakura to Hinata and then took stare right at her daughter. "Your turn kiddo," She remarked pushing her daughter delicately.

Hinata stepped behind the curtain and removed her jacket, then her mesh top, and finally her shoes and pants. Standing there, she looked into the full mirror at her self. The black tank top and white fluffy diaper seemed to go well with each other. She blushed at her own image. "Looks like you've outgrown me," Sakura said half despondently, half-complimentary as she stepped into the booth with no warning.

Sakura began her measurements busily as Hinata stood still and let Sakura move her as needed. "Thank you again for your help, Sakura. I don't know if I'd have been able to figure this problem out on my own," Hinata was a little blush but Sakura could not notice, measuring Hinata's hips expertly.

"Don't mention it, I don't mind helping fellow kunoichi, as long as its not that pig-face Ino. Anyway, I was told to tell you something earlier, by the Hokage." Sakura said putting the tape measure in her lips and writing down measurements on her note pad.

"What did Hokage-sama ask you to tell me?" Hinata inquired curiously.

"You have to go to her office to receive a mission; she said its top priority, so I'd go as soon as we're done here." Sakura answered folding up her measure tape and putting the pencil in the rings of her notepad. "Okay, finished,"

Hinata go dressed as fast as she comfortably could and walked from the draped changing room. She hurried to her mother who warmly grinned. "I heard what Sakura said. You go and see the Hokage, I'll take care of everything here," Inase kissed her daughter on the forehead and patted her towards the door.

It was not long before Hinata had scaled the steps of the domed administration building and was standing in the scored, darkened oak interior hallway, adjoining to the Hokage's office. Shizune had just told her to wait patiently outside until Tsunade was ready to see her.

She tried to hear through the door but it seemed that Tsunade had thicker doors installed since the many incidents where Naruto had heard the tail end of an important conversation and bounded off to do something solo, always with rather dangerous result. There was a scratching at the door and Shizune, holding Tsunade's pet piglet, poked her head out of the door and smiled at Hinata. "Tsunade-sama will see you now,"

"Understood," Hinata said affirmatively as she stepped into the fifth Hokage's office and looked around. Naruto stood in front of Tsunade, his eyes squinting seriously. "You wanted to see me, Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked shyly, since she severely respected the first female Hokage in Konoha's history.

"Yes, Hinata. I have a very important mission for you, and Naruto. I expect you two will be all that's needed to complete it. Therefore, you will go alone," Tsunade paused and looked at the front cover of a manila folder. "This is a B-Rank mission; you are to retrieve a certain object from a shinobi museum opening in the Rock Country. Normally, this wouldn't need to be done, but you see, the object to be unveiled was not only stolen from our vaults here, but we feel someone is using its unveiling at the museum to facilitate another goal. The feudal lord of the Rock Country will be attending the unveiling, and we suspect, from what our client has told us, that someone is planning to use the object to assassinate the feudal lord of the Rock Country,"

"Assassinate?" Hinata asked.

"Yes, and if they do so, with an item that was stolen from our village, we may be implicated. That is why we accepted this mission…" Tsunade momentarily stopped and opened what was most likely the mission-briefing folder. "…it is not a bodyguard mission, nor is it a recovery mission. You have three goals, nonetheless. Do not allow the item to be unveiled, stop the assassin if there is one, and after the item has been taken from display, you are to destroy it," Tsunade eyed Naruto and Hinata before continuing. "You will make it look as if the item had never existed in the first place, you must not be caught destroying the object, nor must you be caught dealing with the assailant, either could jeopardize the security of the entire Fire Country,"

"What are we looking to destroy anyway, Granny Tsunade?" Naruto inquired rudely his eyes still squinted and determined He may of looked vacant then, but Hinata knew from that visage, that Naruto was pumped and eager.

"It's a kunai, not just any kunai though. It's a kunai created by Orochimaru whilst he studied here in konoha. It channels and enhances a person's strength by focusing their chakra into the blade," Tsunade's voice became grave and more serious then ever. "If the assassin gets a hold of the blade, you are instructed to take all measures to disarm him," Tsunade became a lot less serious after she had finished saying that. "You leave immediately, so get any items you will need. It will short of a day to reach the Rock Country, and the unveiling is noon tomorrow. You MUST complete your mission before then. Here is a map of the location of the museum; you two are dismissed," Tsunade closed the mission folder after handing a folded map to Hinata, who accepted and pocketed it.

As Hinata left Naruto walked quickly beside her. "Hinata, I need to go collect my backpack and things from my house, meet me at the village gates in thirty minutes, okay?" He asked running ahead, looking back only long enough to see Hinata nod.

"A mission…a mission with Naruto!" Hinata thought jubilantly. "This is my chance, no problems to get in my way, all I need to do is this mission with Naruto, and the chance to ask him will definitely present itself! Yeah, this is my chance!" Hinata smiled more fiercely then the sun at its near noon point in the sky.

**Chapter 6: Mission into the Rock Country**

Hinata had run home, collected her backpack, supplies, and ninja tools, as well as three extra diapers, and a pair of pants, just in case. She wasn't ready to let diabolical ninjas in the Rock Country, nor her own unpredictable stress caused evacuations, stand between her and going to the festival with Naruto. Her ultimate goal was not to be trifled with so easily.

Hinata nodded to herself in her bathroom mirror as she splashed water against her face and wiped it clean. With a running step she slammed shut the room to her door and beat a path through the village streets, jumping where necessary to cover the distance. She landed within two minutes of her target time at the gate. Naruto was not there, but she was happy to be present early. With a small giggle to herself, she leaned against the great gate and looked out into the trail that wound down into the woods bordering Konoha.

Ten minutes late Naruto came strolling down the street, in his hand were two disposable chopsticks and a styrofoam cup of instant ramen noodles. Naruto disposed of the garbage as he reached where Hinata was standing, staring off into space. "Boo!" he shouted.

"Ah!" Hinata yelped jumping from the jarring cry. She looked at Naruto ashamedly and began to fiddle with her fingers in a nervous manner. "I'm ready to go, if you are, Naruto," Hinata spoke deathly quiet, to the point that Naruto had leaned in closer to hear her. Hinata almost exploded. Blood rushed to her face cutely. Her now rosy cheeks stood prominent below her adverted eyes.

"Then let's get going Hinata," Naruto said, beginning to walk down the path. Hinata followed closely behind, trying to look more as if she was following Naruto then stalking him. She had cracked open the map, and as they came a forked road Naruto dumbly looked down each. He had totally disregarded the idea of the map.

"Umm, Naruto, we should go this way," Hinata pointed down the right path. She saw the look in Naruto's eyes. He thought he had a shortcut. "I'm sure this way is the fastest," she added quickly. Naruto seemed please.

The two continued down the path, it had not been long since they left, but as long as conversation was kept to a minimal, Hinata knew she could avoid any stressful situation. The two began to pick up pace. He faster they moved the more Hinata intently stared at the map. She was ardent on not following any "shortcuts, faster routes, or secret trails" Naruto sometimes pointed out. She remembered last time; Naruto's shortcut wound him and her nearly walking off a cliff.

When the sun was lower, near the good end of the afternoon they were nearing the border between the Fire Country and the Rock Country. Naruto stopped suddenly somewhere past the border and went to the side of the road. "Naruto what are you…" Hinata froze as she heard Naruto began to relieve himself. She turned red.

"Hinata, you'd probably be best going too," Naruto said without tact or grace as he sighed happily zipping his pants. "You can go in the forest, I won't watch," He added, much of nothing to Hinata's blush. Hinata knew they could not stop again without compromising her time so she nodded to Naruto and disappeared into the forest.

When she was a good bit out and Naruto was out of view she carefully, and cautiously lowered her pants. She was a bit wet, she had inadvertently wet when Naruto had first scared her at the gates, and his less then civil actions on the side of the rode had also stressed Hinata. As well as the fact, and this made Hana feel a little naughty, that she had gone a little while they were stopping at forks and diverged paths in the road.

With little work, Hinata undid the wet brief and rolled it up. She reached into her bag and grabbed a small package where she kept sanitary things, and medical supplies. "Thank goodness for wet naps," Hinata said, giggling as the cool cloth caressed her bare lower regions. The simple task finished Hinata wrestled with the task of diapering herself standing up. Something she had not mastered, or even tried. With a bit of work and a couple of re-tapes, she was able to get a respectable job done of it. After only about 5 minutes, she emerged from the woods. Naruto was busy munching something from his backpack. "I'm all done," Hinata said softly, shyly. Naruto nodded and they continued forth towards the Rock Country's museum.

As they left the area a shadowy cloaked figure, a long brimmed rice hat on his head appeared on the trail maybe fifteen minutes behind them. "The fools actually sent him, the jinchuuriki," The man with the brimmed hat and red cloud adorned cloak removed his head covering and looked out at the horizon. "I may just be a mere associate of Akatsuki, but if I bring in the nine tails demon, I'll become a full member, hell, I'll become leader!" The man's dark eyes and coarse red hair the texture of stale hay, made him seem wild. "Not only will I throw the Rock Country into chaos by killing their feudal lord, but I get this gift as well, lucky," He jumped off, disappearing into the woods as the sun began to reach the mountains far off in the horizon.

Naruto and Hinata traveled on into the night and before long had made their way into the mountains characteristic of the suitably named Rock Country. They were wary to keep a sharp eye, and every so often Hinata would activate her byakugan and scan the area ahead and behind them. Each time there was nothing, and they were ahead of schedule. Naruto pressed on jumping from rock to rock stealthily as Hinata tried to keep up with what seemed like never ending energy.

Darting from mountain path to sloping valley the pair was nearly at their target. With feet, pounding earth in the wee early hours of the morning where light had yet filled the sky they arrived at the gates of the village of Iketi, where the museum was situated. Naruto stopped near the inside rampart as Hinata quickly landed at his side. The two took another look at their map to be sure and then entered the inner wall and into the quiet city.

As they walked the streets, the two, konoha, shinobi internally decided on their own game plan. "Go in there, beat 'em up and grab the kunai, then I'll smash it good!" Naruto thought to himself haughtily.

"I'll make sure to have Naruto's back in case he needs help defeating the assassin, then we'll destroy the kunai, and I can ask him to the festival on the trip back!" Hinata smiled modestly at her own plan. The two of them came to a stop when up head hey saw torches lit and guards pacing the streets.

They darted into an alley before any of the soldier had saw them, they were sure they knew what the guards were around for. Peeking around the corner Hinata and Naruto saw a temple shaped building walled off from the rest of the village, with guards waiting at the entrance. Inside the walls, Hinata and Naruto could see more guards circuiting the courtyard.

"Naruto, we have to get past those guards to get into the museum, I think we should…" Hinata was interrupted.

"We'll go in there, and beat em until they don't know what happened!" Naruto said proudly. Hinata sighed at Naruto's lack of discretion.

"Maybe we should use transformation jutsu to make us look like guards, then we could easily get past without any interrogation," Hinata suggested. Naruto did not like this idea. Hinata activated her byakugan. She looked past the wall and countered the number of guards, and places to remain unseen on the other side of the wall. "On the other side of the wall, farthest from the entrance guards there is a large hedge of bushes, if we scale the wall we could have the best vantage point of the museum, and the best defensive point in case of combat," Hinata summed up strategically.

"I like the sound of that plan!" Naruto answered. Hinata only just noticed how cool she was acting with Naruto mere inches from her. She was overwhelmed for a moment, but regained composure. She felt a small amount moisture escape, but then it was once more dry. She sighed relieved.

"Okay then Naruto, let's go," Hinata said looking out at the guards at they were briefly changing shifts. With indiscriminant bounds, the two landed on the high wall and dropped into the corner of the courtyard. Naruto landed inside the bush itself and Hinata behind it. Hinata held her breath as he fumbled and finally crawled to her side. Luckily unseen. "There are two entrances from the look of this map; Hinata said looking at the small diagram of the museum drawn in the corner of the map. There's the main visitor entrance and the service entrance, we would be safer picking the second,"

Naruto nodded poking his head into the bush and spying around outside, for a brief moment there were no guards to be see, so without even warning Hinata he bolted out. Hinata, caught unawares fumbled around folding the map and a second later shot after him. When the two had stopped moving they were clung to a deep overhang of the museum, well into the shadows of the woodwork. They hung upside down there looking at guards pass by seconds later.

The service entrance was unguarded as they approached from the rafters of the outside overhang. However, the door was bolted from the inside and would be impossible to open without alerting the guards. Naruto was ready to charge in like a mad man when Hinata pointed to a closer entrance. A small ventilation window set above the service door, not even inches behind Naruto was left opened. The two were able to slip in and remain hidden as they descended into the dark museum storage area.

The smell of must and old artifacts was overpowering as Hinata wiggled her nose trying not to become flustered with the dust. The two ninja stopped moving after reaching the second row of shelves and turned to each other. "Where do you think the artifact is?" Naruto asked inquisitively popping his head around looking.

"Its probably located in its own room in the museum, in a roped off area, maybe draped in a curtain," Hinata said, figuring she actually knew what the inside of a museum looked like unlike Naruto.

"Good thinking Hinata, you're pretty smart!" Naruto said shaking her by the shoulder. Again, Hinata got dizzy but corrected herself as fast as she could. Naruto was once more in motion, moving along shelves of old, and indeterminable items, he crept with silence and a good amount of thought in his movements. Hinata admired how much Naruto had grown as a ninja in the last three years.

She pursued him in the same manner he had trekked and soon they were inside the exhibition area of the museum. Making sure to make note of any security or alarms they stood to the shadows and whenever possible hid behind large structures. They went though room after room, finding nothing to indicate a new exhibit. Finally, they reached a closed door near the back of the museum. The floor there was newly waxed and the door freshly polished. Naruto peeked through the cracks of the door.

He turned to Hinata grinning. "Curtains, roped off, in its own room, this is it!" His voice was pretty excited. All had gone unbelievably well. Now all they had to do was go in and retrieve it.

With tremendous caution, Naruto tiptoed ahead of Hinata into the bare room. He ducked under the velvet ropes and disappeared into the curtain. Hinata followed with the same prudence. As she reached Naruto's side, she looked into a case upon a podium, with him. This was it. The kunai lied there ready to be taken. Naruto examined the entirety of the case. Besides one lock, it was completely devoid of any other mechanism.

"Seems safe," Naruto said looking it over once more to be sure. Hinata moved closer to the box and moved her fingers into form.

"Byakugan!" Her eyes perceived the entirety of the box, finding nothing was amiss; she deactivated her dojutsu and nodded to Naruto. Holding the lock in one hand Naruto moved his other hand back and forth around the lock. As his chakra picked up the lock burst, though rather quietly, and the released case was free to access.

With a quick jerk Naruto lifted the lid of the case and grasped the Kunai. He held it up and examined it. There seemed to be nothing special about the kunai. Neither marking nor shape would be able to distinguish it from any of the kunai resting in Naruto's pouch. He looked it over again and nothing. With one thumb on the flat end of the blade, Naruto snapped the metal kunai in half easily. He dropped the pieces and smiled at Hinata. Well, seems like there was no assassin guarding a fabled kunai. Mission complete!" He said almost jumping.

The kunai on the ground sizzled and began to smoke, as Naruto began to walk from it. A small tag fizzled to its end just as Hinata had spotted it. "Naruto!" she whispered urgently. Too late. The kunai detonated, but not violently. Instead, it released a red smoke, and small tags on all of the rings holding the curtain up popped, dropping the curtain around the two shinobi, rather abruptly.

**Chapter 7: Hinata to the Rescue!**

The dark figure from the trail before stood there. He smiled vehemently. "Well, well, you actually got in here past all the guards, broke the kunai, and were going to leave?" Naruto eyed the man's garb and he became angered and frenetic.

"Hinata, back away slowly! This guy is part of Akatsuki!" He looked behind Hinata as she took a couple steps back. Naruto tightened his headband and looked at the man. "Why are you here?!" Naruto demanded.

The man extended his hands out of the robes and looked at Naruto. "Well I was originally here to kill the feudal lord of the Rock Country. However, now I also have the nine-tailed demon fox in reach of me! Hah! Did they tell you this was some kind of low rank mission kiddies? I'll tell you I'm an S-Rank criminal! Defected from the Cloud Country, I am Iahiso Muramaka!" Muramaka chuckled with an almost nasally retort as he removed a kunai from his robes.

Naruto's eyes seemed drawn to it, not only was it ardent silver, it glowed like pure chakra. Naruto's eyes went wide. A music note, the symbol of the Sound Village, of Orochimaru, adorned the elongated blade. "You, that kunai, was, a fake!?"

Iahiso looked quite amused. He threw off his rice hat and looked deep into Naruto's eyes. "It was a cleverly easy trick to take the real kunai and replace it with the dummy trigger that would activate the tags attached to the curtain. Also, the sealing tags attached to the door," Muramaka let out another vehement cackle.

Hinata watched frightened, as Naruto seemed locked in place. Muramaka handled the kunai expertly. He was a weapons specialist. In his hands, a kunai was already a deadly weapon in almost every strike that would hit, and with the undoubted boost of the enhancements on that kunai, his power would be phenomenal. "Naruto, what should we do?" Hinata thought.

Muramaka had tired of games. He lunged forward towards Naruto. With a sharp turn, Naruto had moved past his attack. Hinata could only watch as the two fought back and forth. Each time Naruto pulled a Kunai it would be shattered on impact by the silver kunai. "You can't win fox boy! I'm already stronger then you and your little friend seems as if she is absolutely petrified!" Naruto took a direct slash on the arm, barely missing a stab to the chest had it not been for the kunai he had used to deflect it.

"Dammit!" Naruto spat holding the bleeding wound. Hinata frantically looked around her. There was nothing she could do to help, as she watched Naruto get picked apart by this Akatsuki member. She felt tears form, and her blood boil.

Hinata reached into her shuriken pouch and removed as many as she could hope to throw. With one leap, she jumped to the ceiling and landed behind Muramaka as he tussled with Naruto. "Take this!" She cried flinging all of the projectiles at once. There was a small moment when all of the shuriken were sure to have hit, and in utter milliseconds, they all landed on the floor, in pieces. Iahiso smiled standing back from the two of them. Chuunin level shuriken skill won't cut it here. Muramaka taunted.

Naruto whom had gotten a reprieve looked back at Hinata. "At the same time now!" He shouted. Both Naruto and Hinata removed their shuriken and let them fly. In only that much more time they fell flat to the floor, the glowing kunai shone ever more vibrant.

"How many times do I have to say it? THAT WON'T WORK HERE!" Muramaka had vanished reappearing in front of Hinata. She dodged as well as she could the stabs of the violent flurry Muramaka was unleashing. Her coat was being cut every other stab, missing her torso, some cuts biting at her arm.

"Juuken!" Hinata exclaimed throwing her hand forward, it connected with Muramaka's arm. The flow of energy in the kunai stopped for a moment and then reignited giving Hinata just enough time to move back into a safe range. Naruto again lunged at Muramaka, throwing wild haymakers he caught his target off guard and lashed Muramaka dead in the face.

Tumbling back the enemy ninja looked upon the two and grimaced. "To think, I'll have to use even half my power to beat you brats!" With a violent heavy chakra broke into sheer glow around the entirety of Muramaka's arm. "Kunai Ninpou: Chi ken! ( Kunai Technique: Thousand Blades)" The room was bathed in glow as Iahiso barreled down on Naruto his arm moving faster then even Hinata's byakugan could see.

"Kage Bunshin No Justu!" Naruto cried, forming about 10 clones of himself that scattered before Muramaka's no doubt lethal attack tore through the case where the imposter kunai had been. As the clones of Naruto kept Muramaka busy renting them to pieces Naruto and one clone appeared behind Hinata and wound up Naruto's signature technique.

When the last of the clones had been vanquished, Muramaka turned to see Naruto charging him. The rasengan was formed and in plain view. "Here we go!" Naruto shouted colliding the ball of chakra against the kunai. Hinata watched the two push back and forth with near equal force, however with a burst more power Muramaka tore through the rasengan and deliver Naruto a sucking chest wound.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted in dismay as the body fell to the ground. However, upon hitting it disappeared, it was only a clone. Relieved Hinata could feel a growing chakra from her left. Naruto with a huge rasengan was smiling cockily.

"That doesn't mean shit!" Muramaka said rushing ball of compressed chakra. Once more, Naruto and his opponent pushed back and short with all their might. Even as burst of power increased Muramaka's strength, he could only match Naruto's. Hinata watched as the two fought with incredible force. However, she saw something Naruto and Muramaka did not. Slowly, the rasengan was unraveling from the outsides. Naruto could not keep the entire ball of chakra tightly compressed for too long.

This time there was no clone, if Naruto lost he would be killed by the resulting wound. Hinata went through her mind thinking as fast as she could of Muramaka's fighting style. Finally, she saw it; she replayed in her mind what her Juuken had done to his chakra. Disrupting the flow of energy turned off his power; if she could flood him with chakra, she could stop his power, and overload the kunai all at once.

Naruto gave one last heave as he pushed Muramaka back fiercely. He must have realized by now that's the rasengan had reached its breaking point. Still Hinata could not move. She was scared; even then, she was afraid even then. When she could help, she could not move. She tried to force herself, but she would not budge. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, Naruto had but moments for her to act.

She thought, "Naruto has fought for the village, fought for all the people of konoha so many times. By proxy, he has fought for me! I can help him; I will help him!" As her thought finished she was shouting it, "Naruto, I will help you!" The moment came and the rasengan burst, Naruto stopped moving as Muramaka's hand descended. There was a rush of light he struck and then at the same moment Muramaka's arm went dark; the kunai stopped its furious glow.

Blood ran down Hinata's left arm as she held her hand to Muramaka's chest. "Juuken," She said softly…triumphantly. With a burst of blue chakra the back of Muramaka's cloak had a hole put through it. His arm-twisted wildly and he removed the kunai.

"I'll kill you!" He screamed as he plunged the kunai. Hinata smiled again. The kunai broke in his hands. Muramaka stumbled backwards. From behind Hinata, the sound of swirling energy was now evident.

"Hey, Akatsuki dude! I owe you this!" Naruto shouted running forward and past Hinata. "RASENGAN!" Naruto thrust his arm and connected right where Hinata's Juuken had hit moments before. The bone must have shattered instantly upon contact because the Akatsuki agent could not move when the dust had settled.

"I think he's "stopped," Naruto said standing at Hinata's side. She smiled. Her and Naruto sported matching arm wounds. Hinata, overwhelmed from the entire ordeal felt herself lose all feeling, she relaxed totally and felt warmth rush her, she knew there was no way it could absorb the flood, however as Naruto caught her she couldn't even keep her eyes open. Hinata fainted.

**Chapter 8: The Question, and the Festival**

Naruto looked a bit shocked for a moment, until he had discovered she was only unconscious. He sighed heavily. He looked over the girl that had saved his life. He noted the small patch of wetness around her pants and chuckled. "Poor Hinata, she must have gotten really worked up!" he said to himself.

Hinata woke a while later, in a forest clearing just beyond the borders of the Rock Country. Naruto was smiling over her, the smell of warm noodles was apparent. Hinata felt very sodden, and her body jolted up, as she ashamedly blushed deeper then usual. "So I guess you know now, Naruto?" Hinata asked, looking at the boy remove his jacket, and sit down to slurp his noodles.

"Know what?" He said with a mouthful of food, so funny Hinata could do nothing but giggle. She looked at her wet pants and back at him.

"About all this…" She said pointing downwards. He shrugged.

"So? You clobbered that Akatsuki guy, I mean you were so cool, it was just like waaaa pow! It was amazing Hinata, I've never even seen Neji move like that!" Hinata blushed so deep she felt as if her nose was about to bleed. Naruto continued to eat. "So what, its not like it makes you any less Hinata right?" Naruto had a way of being so simply profound at times. Hinata was deeply touched.

"Mmm, I'm still Hinata," She said happily. Inside Hinata was tugging at herself; it was the perfect time. "Its now or never Hinata! Ask him!" She told herself. She stalled. "Umm Naruto? Could you please look away, I need to…to…"

"Say no more Hinata-chan," Naruto said turning away with his bowl. Hinata made quick work of undressing and undoing the sodden diaper. Naruto listened to her rustle around. "Do you need help Hinata?" He was still shoveling noodles in his mouth. Hinata's nose began to bleed a little and she started to wet into the already full brief.

"No thanks….its….all right!" She said as quickly as she could. Hinata was flustered beyond belief. Something inside was still telling her to ask him about the festival. Her hands kept moving and though it took her, a substantially longer time Hinata was able to clean herself and slip the fresh diaper under her bottom. She fumbled with the tapes unlike the other times, because of her nervousness of looking at the back of Naruto's head. With all of that done, she stood up. Naruto turned.

Hinata caught sight of him and her entire body turned deep red. "Naruto-kun!?" She shouted. He did not see the problem, she was not naked or anything.

"Whats wrong Hinata?" He asked. "You're not naked or anything," She blushed at his modesty, it honestly meant nothing to him that she was standing there, her jacket on, but nothing below but the bulky fluffy cloud taped around her waist.

"Nothing Naruto, but…umm…could I….maybe….ask….you…a question?" Hinata got it out; the lesser of two boulders was moved.

"Shoot, Hinata." Naruto answered without forethought.

"Could, I…I mean…you…I mean….we…that is…with the…..and…ummm….summer?" Her question made no sense, and the word festival had not even come up. She felt horrible.

"Before you repeat that, could I ask you a question, Hinata?" Naruto inquired. Hinata nodded as she knelt in front of her backpack and retrieved the dry pants from within. "Well, I asked you a couple of days ago, what you were doing for the festival." Naruto had perked Hinata, she looked up as she lifted her pants to her waist, and he was actually blushing. Naruto was blushing! Naruto had never blushed in front of Hinata before. "I asked because, well, because Sakura is going with that jerk Sasuke, and I, well I heard you weren't doing anything…so what I mean to ask is, will you…" He did not get to finish.

"Will you go with me?!" Hinata said as fast and as strained as she could. She was hyperventilating and seemed on the verge tears or worse. Naruto smiled and blushed again.

"Yes, I'd love to." He said softly. Hinata began to cry. She had a smile on her face but tears fell anyway. Naruto came to her side.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" Naruto asked looking deep into her teary eyes. Something inside of Hinata broke for a moment and she shot up. Her lips joined with Naruto's and her eyes closed. He was stunned for a moment but Naruto too closed his eyes and the two were there, embraced. When Hinata let go her tears had stopped and Naruto was blushing again.

"I love you Naruto," she finally said. Naruto's expression was one of shock and great joy.

"Sakura always told me, that you, had a crush on me, but for the longest time I always thought she was messing with my head. Hinata, I told you once you were odd, and I like odd people. Well Hinata, I love you too," Naruto smiled his trademark smug smile. Hinata looked at him and with her reason slowly returning she once again fainted.

_The next week at the festival…_

Hinata opened the door to her room; she put on her sandals and looked at herself in the mirror one last time before stepping out into the hall. What she saw pleased her; the yukata was beautiful. She noted that she could barely notice the roundness of the padded garment, nor the slight crinkle over the clicking of her wooden dress shoes. With grace of an heiress, she walked down the hall and arrived at the entrance to the manor. Naruto dressed in a shabby, but still handsome, hand-me-down yukata fanned himself with a small paper fan.

"You look great Hinata!" He exclaimed, getting perverted thoughts he attributed with hanging out too much with Ero Sennin.

Hinata bowed to him. "You look so handsome!" She said blushing deeply.

Far in the background, Inase sat on the roof of the Hyuuga manor as her daughter and date walked off. She fanned herself with her fan as Hiashi, walked up, and stood beside her. "Want me to have Neji follow them?" He asked guardedly.

"Remember when we were like that?" She asked her husband looking up at him.

"You were a lot to handle," Hiashi admitted, Hinata's father showing an oddly out of character humor, which he probably only showed his wife.

"She's gotten stronger, and she has good taste," Inase remarked.

Hinata and Naruto reached the cliff side overlooking the entire village. The fireworks cracked and boomed in the distance. Hinata broke a smile softly. Naruto grinned roguishly. "Its good to be here with you Hinata," He said as she sat down beside him.

"Me too, Naruto. Thank you." Hinata couldn't help shiver and feel a bit dizzy when Naruto put his arm around Hinata's shoulder and held her close. Hinata felt the soft vibration of wetting, but she just ignored it, if this was the price of being with Naruto, she'd be his baby any day. He was enough to be her confidence.

"I love you Naruto." Hinata repeated kissing him on the cheek moistly and tenderly.

"Me too." He replied pressing his lips to her forehead delicately.

In the background, a giant orange firework exploded and they both looked at it exuberantly, bathed in that light Hinata and Naruto were truly in love.


End file.
